bailey



R. W. BAILEY SKIING DEVICE March 10, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept.17, 1962 INVENTOR. Rana/0 Hu o/767 ATTORNEY.

March 10, 1964 R. w. BAILEY SKIING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept.17, 1962 llll INVENTOR. Rona/d M4 50/767 A T TOR N E Y. K

United States Patent O 3,123,844 SKIING DEVICE Ronald W. Bailey, 1126Laurel t., Cadillac, Mich. Filed Sept. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 224,091 2Claims. (Cl. 9-4510) This invention relates to improvements in waterskis. The main objects of this invention are- First, to provide a usersteerable ski including a seat for the operator.

Second, to provide a ski having a seat for the operator in Which theoperator is balanced and supported so that he is not likely to fall orbe ejected from the 'ski,.even when it is subjected to sharp turns orzigzag movement.

Third, to provide a ski having these advantages which is capable of awide range of relatively easy manipulation.

Fourth, to provide a ski assembly including combined steering andsupport members in which the ski body and the support member bodies maybe formed of fiat stock and have no projections on their under sides,and a structure in which the user may be seated on the ski while it ispositioned on the bank and the ski may be easily propelled into thewater.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appearfrom the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed outin the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a ski embodying my invention, thepropelling rope being broken away.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment of my invention shown in FIG. 1with the positioning of an operator or user indicated by dotted lines.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view with an operator in dicated by dottedlines.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view on a line corresponding to line44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary-view on a line corresponding to line55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary on a line corresponding to line 6-6 ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view on a line corresponding to line77 of FIG. 3.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, the elongated ski bodymember 1 is formed of flat stock and has an upwardly curved front endportion 2. This body member is, in the preferred embodiment of theapplicants invention illustrated, planar on both its lower or under andupper surfaces. The body member is provided with a seat 3, the legs 4 ofwhich are laterally spaced, these being formed of tube stock and theirlower ends seated in the sockets 5 fixedly connected to the base member6, which is disposed in transverse relation to the ski body member 1 andfixedly scoured thereto by means of the rivets 7, which serves not onlyas a base member for the seat but as a reinforcing member for the skibody member. It will be understood that the term body member is hereused in defining the member 1 to clearly distinguish from other partswhich will be described.

The legs '4 are connected at their upper ends by an integral crosspiece8, the legs being of tubular stock and the crosspiece portion beingflattened to receive the attaching bolts 9. This provides a relativelyrigid constnuction of seat, even though the parts are of relativelylight stock. The elongated combined ski and steering members 10 are alsodesirably formed of flat stock and have upwardly curved front portions1-2.

The members 10 are pivotally mounted on the main body member by means ofthe shaft or crosspiece 13 which is clamped to the body member at 14 toproject substantially laterally therefrom and the members 10 are3,123,844 Patented Mar. 10, 1964 pivotally secured to the member 13 bythe clips 15, the pins 16 being disposed through the member 13 at eachside of the clips 15 to prevent movement of the members 10longitudinally of the shaft 13. These combined steering and ski members10 are provided with rearwardly opening foothold members 18, portions ofthese combined steering and ski members 10 at the front of the shaft 13serving as foot pieces, the position of a user being indioated by dottedlines 19 in FIGS. 2 and 3.

With this arrangement, the members 10 may be positioned in planarrelation to the body member or variably and independently tilted oradjusted relative thereto, and thereby serving as rudders for steeringor'varying the direction of travel of the ski, that variationnotwithstanding the pull on the propeller rope 21 may be substantiallystraight ahead or it may be substantially varied. Otherwise stated, theuser has a very substantial degree of control of the path of travel ofthe ski.

To provide a support for the user, the propeller rope is disposedthrough an opening 22 provided therefor in the upturned end of the skimember 1 and is provided with a stop member 23 disposed on the upperside of the ski member 1. The handle 24 is connected to the propellerrope at the inner side of the stop member 23 by the flexible extensions25. This is of importance in that it provides a support for the operatornot only in the matter of remaining on the seat during the sidewisemovement of the ski, but in effect is a stabilizer when the useroperates the steering ski members 10.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a desirable embodimentthereof in which the parts are relatively few and may be economicallyproduced and assembled. At the same time the structure is strong anddurable. I have not attempted to illustrate various embodiments andadaptations of my invention, as it is believed that this disclosure willenable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as maybe desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A ski apparatus comprising an elongated body mem' her having a fixedupwandly curved portion at its front end, said body member havingsubstantially planar lower and upper surfaces, a seat fixedly mounted onsaid body member in substantially spaced relation to its front and rearends, a shaft disposed above and transversely of and fixedly secured tosaid body member with its ends projecting laterally therefrom and inforwardly spaced relation to said seat, a pair of elongatedsubstantially duplicate supporting and steeering members having upwardlycurved portions at their front ends and substantially planar lower andupper surfaces pivotally mounted on said shaft in substantiallylaterally spaced relation to said body member, the upwardly curved frontends of said support and steering members constituting foot rests andbeing provided with rearwardly opening foot hold members, and apropelling rope, the upturned end of said body member having an openingtherein through which said rope is slidably disposed, the rope having astop member thereon e-ngagea-ble with the upper side of said body memberand having a portion extending rearwardly from said stop and providedwith a bar-like hand hold engageable by an operator positioned on saidseat.

2. A ski apparatus comprising an elongated body member having a fixedupwardly curved portion at its front end, a seat fixedly mounted on saidbody member in substantially spaced relation to its front and rear ends,a shaft disposed above and transversely of and fixedly secured to saidbody member with its ends projecting laterally therefrom and inforwardly spaced relation to said seat, a pair of elongatedsubstantially duplicate supporting and steering members having upwardlycurved portions at their front ends pivotally mounted on said 3 shaft insubstantially laterally spaced relation to said said stop and providedwith a bar-like hand hold engagebody member, the upwardly curved frontends of said able by an operator positioned on said seat. support andsteering members constituting foot rests and References Cited in thefile of this patent being provided with rearwardly opening foot holdmembers, and a propelling rope, the upturned end of said body 5 UNITEDSTATES PATENTS member having an opening therein through which said2,528,397 Smf O t, 31, 1950 rope is slidably disposed, the rope having astop member 2,841,805 Roudebush July 8, 1958 thereon engageable with theupper side of said body 2,910,708 Albright Nov. 3, 1959 member andhaving a portion extending rearwardly from 3,042,944 Basey July 10, 1962

2. A SKI APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY MEMBER HAVING A FIXEDUPWARDLY CURVED PORTION AT ITS FRONT END, A SEAT FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAIDBODY MEMBER IN SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED RELATION TO ITS FRONT AND REAR ENDS,A SHAFT DISPOSED ABOVE AND TRANSVERSELY OF AND FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAIDBODY MEMBER WITH ITS ENDS PROJECTING LATERALLY THEREFROM AND INFORWARDLY SPACED RELATION TO SAID SEAT, A PAIR OF ELONGATEDSUBSTANTIALLY DUPLICATE SUPPORTING AND STEERING MEMBERS HAVING UPWARDLYCURVED PORTIONS AT THEIR FRONT ENDS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT INSUBSTANTIALLY LATERALLY SPACED RELATION TO SAID BODY MEMBER, THEUPWARDLY CURVED FRONT ENDS OF SAID SUPPORT AND STEERING MEMBERSCONSTITUTING FOOT RESTS AND BEING PROVIDED WITH REARWARDLY OPENING FOOTHOLD MEMBERS, AND A PROPELLING ROPE, THE UPTURNED END OF SAID BODYMEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN THROUGH WHICH SAID ROPE IS SLIDABLYDISPOSED, THE ROPE HAVING A STOP MEMBER THEREON ENGAGEABLE WITH THEUPPER SIDE OF SAID BODY MEMBER AND HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING REARWARDLYFROM SAID STOP AND PROVIDED WITH A BAR-LIKE HAND HOLD ENGAGEABLE BY ANOPERATOR POSITIONED ON SAID SEAT.